Writing & perfectionism
Writers share their work.
Perfectionists hoard it.
Sharing your work (i.e., writing in public) feels scary, like you’re losing control. But it's the only way a new writer can build a brand, grow an audience, and begin earning money.
Hoarding work (i.e., writing in private) feels safe, comfortable. But then you can’t reach people.
Most perfectionists hesitate to share their work because they fear judgment and rejection, in that order:
No readers, no feedback.
No feedback, no pain.
So perfectionists get caught delaying, over-editing,
tniekrnig,
___tinrkeing,
______tkrninieg,
_________tinkering
____________down this
_______________staircase
__________________with no end in sight until eventually, they get to the bottom, where they lose interest, give up, and move on.
Shame… they should’ve stopped tinkering somewhere in the middle of the staircase. (Look again.) 👆
Paul Valéry said, "A poem is never finished; it is only abandoned."
He meant you can always edit more.
You can play with the words until you’re dead (or just bored).
No judgement this way. No rejection.
But also no audience.
Is that what you want?
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Hey there, thanks for reading. :)
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Eddie Shleyner
VeryGoodCopy, founder
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